Pakistan’s PM Khan pledges arrests after ‘lynching’ of factory manager

The leader of Pakistan pledged Friday to find and punish those behind the public killing of a factory manager tortured and burned by an Islamist mob in Punjab province.

“The heinous attack on a factory in Sialkot by a mob and the burning alive of a Sri Lankan manager is a shameful day for Pakistan. Arrests continue,” Prime Minister Imran Khan tweeted. “I am overseeing the investigations & let there be no mistake all those responsible will be punished with full severity of the law.”

Mr. Khan pledged a firm hand as headlines bemoaned a “day of shame” in the nation after the mob descended on the manager — identified as Priyantha Kumara, a Sri Lankan national — and accused him of blasphemy for allegedly ripping down posters or stickers belonging to the TLP — initials for a far-right Islamic party — and throwing them away. Some reports said the material contained verses from the Quran.

Videos showed possibly hundreds of men surrounding the man’s burned body and chanting slogans as part of the public killing.

Amnesty International South Asia condemned the incident and called for accountability.

“Amnesty International is deeply alarmed by the disturbing lynching and killing of a Sri Lankan factory manager in Sialkot, allegedly due to a blasphemy accusation,” it tweeted. “Authorities must immediately conduct an independent, impartial and prompt investigation and hold the perpetrators accountable. Today’s event underscores the urgency with which an environment that enables abuse and puts lives at risk must be rectified.”